HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- A Henrico County man faces more than 100 years in prison after he plead guilty to firearm possession, drug manufacturing, and bomb-making inside his West End home.
Police responded to 52-year-old Michael Hardy's Tuckahoe-area home in March 2022 as part of a domestic violence investigation between Hardy and his girlfriend.
Once they arrived at the Durwood Crescent home, police found drugs and explosives prompting the neighborhood to be evacuated for two days while police cleared the house.
In court on Wednesday, prosecutors showed some of what was found in the home including a mortar firework filled with nails and ball bearings, pipe bombs, improvised explosive devices, and a Molotov cocktail.
Police also found fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, and text messages that contained overt messages related to drug dealing.
Prosecutor said several doors in the home were reinforced and behind one, a spring gun that would have fired when someone opened the door. They said it was able to hold a shotgun shell but was loaded with a flare round at the time.
Hardy's defense attorney didn't dispute the facts but said the spring gun was supposed to act as a flashbang.
He added that some of the bomb-making material referenced called Tannerite was commercially available and normally used in target practice and wasn't on the same threat level as other explosives like T-N-T -- and didn't pose a risk to the neighborhood.
Hardy faces between five and 110 years when he's sentenced in January.
Neither side said how much time they'd be seeking, but Hardy's attorney said he planned to focus on Hardy's record as an honorably-discharged Gulf War veteran who lived his first five decades out of trouble. He also said he'd detail what led Hardy down the criminal path.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
